Oct. 4, 2012
By Greg Campbell, PSU Athletic Communications Assistant Director
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- In this day in age it isn't very often that someone can say that they were the first. In the case of the Penn State women's hockey program that is exactly what they are; the first. The 27 players that make up the Nittany Lions roster will forever be engrained in Penn State lore as the first team to take the ice as a Division I squad.
The first ever Penn State Women's Hockey Media Day took place on Wednesday with head coach Josh Brandwene, senior Lindsay Reihl, juniors Taylor Gross and Jenna Welch, along with freshman Jill Holdcroft all addressing the media prior to their opening match with Vermont on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Anticipation of the Puck Drop
It's something that everyone has been waiting for since the announcement that varsity hockey was arriving in State College, Pa. and that anticipation has been amplified as the first game approaches in a matter of days. Senior assistant captain Lindsey Reihl, one of two seniors on the squad, put that excitement into works when talking with teammate Taylor Gross.
"It's going to be a long bus trip," said Reihl, "but I am ready to get there and ready to play. It's going to be a lot of fun, a lot of team bonding...I am ready and excited. I am most excited for the second they drop the puck at Vermont. (I am excited) to see how the whole game unfolds and to play my first Division I hockey game. I couldn't be more excited."
Touching All the Bases
With the season quickly approaching, head coach Josh Brandwene has the team focused on getting better each day before the season begins officially on Saturday at Vermont. It has been a focus on different skills each day at practice and it will be about putting all of those moving parts together when the season opens versus the Catamounts.
"We are preparing on a day to day basis," said Brandwene. "We have different things that we work on every day in practice, depending on the day. I love the attitude and the intensity. These kids come here to the rink every day to work and get better. We've been grinding away so hard that we are saying, `Wow, it's a couple days away now'. We are real excited to get on the road."
A Dream Becomes a Reality
When Josh Brandwene first stepped foot onto the Penn State campus in 1987 it was the start of his freshman year as a student. Twenty-five years later he will lead the school that he once played for on the club level into their first season as a Division I program. His attitude, like many of those associated with Penn State hockey, is one of opportunity and a vision to build his program around a community that has already embraced his team.
"It's going to be the whole package. Within the community, Kim and Terry Pegula were very committed in their process with this. First and foremost, they wanted a state of the art home for the men's and women's varsity programs but also, it will be a great resource for the community as well. This is going to do wonders for taking an already good program and growing it and making it better on a community and youth level. It will be great for the whole county."
You can follow Penn State women's hockey on Twitter (@PennStateWHKY) or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PennStateWomensHockey.